Nocturnal Breezes
by Zerbinetta
Summary: Two souls that are the different, the lonely, the broken. Living the life of an outcast when the only one who understands you is your hated enemy... realizing that hatred is a point of view. It changes nothing, yet alters all. Hao and Anna.
1. Chapter 1

Camping outside was damnable, especially when one had the misfortune to be traveling with the kind of companions one could hardly bear even within a warm, comfortably furnished house.

At least that was the reason Anna gave herself as an excuse to get away from her companions for a while, not that they tried very hard to stop her otherwise. After the hit that answered the first question Manta posed, everyone who wasn't already asleep and was paying attention knew better than to hinder her any longer. She had spared a long glance at the figure of Yoh, but her face remained as passive as ever as she moved away from the warm fire.

Despite her short sleeveless dress, she didn't even consider returning to fetch her winter clothes. She was well used to the cold – after all, she knew they all thought her to be the ice queen, so why shouldn't she be able to handle a bit of a breeze during the night? Her bandana was once more tied around her neck as a quasi scarf, the ends of it blowing loosely in the wind, along with her almost boyish bobbed dark blonde hair. To an outsider, had any been present, she would have appeared a young girl lost in the desert; to one that would take notice of her face, she would seem to be the predator on patrol. The two obsidian razors that were her eyes, a sharp contrast to her hair and proof that she was indeed Japanese, showed no fear, no concern, no worry.

Anna was never one for complex plans. Complexity was a concept she preferred to avoid and, if she would have her way, her life would be simple and easy, just as she wished it to be. After all, she _was_ the wife of the Shaman King… or would be the wife of him in the future, but that was a minor detail. The goal she had set for herself before she was even able to understand the consequences drew nearer with each day and with each battle. That she herself couldn't take the title for herself didn't bother her, though it perhaps took a bit of the glory out of her plan. The fact remained that there was no other alternative acceptable other than winning – and she had made sure there would be no other alternative.

As much as his companions annoyed her, a small part of Anna was able to admit that Yoh was getting better and stronger, in no small part thanks to her, another part of her added. Night and day, every day, never stopping, he would slave away under her iron fisted rule… and he had learned not to complain. She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a breath, still not stopping in her stroll. She _did_ love him, really – after all, he had saved her all those years ago and was, despite his laziness and goofiness and at times too "I'll-help-everyone-I-can" attitude, quite worthy of her love. The years spent away from him had made a hole in her that was now being filled, though of course she would never say such a thing out loud. It was her curse to always mean well but remain, well, herself, at heart, and speak her mind shrewdly.

Her left hand slowly fingered one of the beads of the long chain of pearls around her neck. Jewelry and fashion was not her cup of coffee, but she knew a useful weapon when she saw one – and these beads had proven more than useful in her battles thus far. Now even she, though she wasn't a shaman warrior herself, had two guardian spirits of sorts. Only she had kept her head cool when faced with the pair of shikigami and realized that the answer to her little problem might be in the book from whence they came. And now, controlled by her own power, the two guardian spirits served her, not Hao anymore.

She was one of the few people who felt no chill at the thought of his name. Their first and hopefully last encounter had ended as most of Anna's first meetings did – with a sharp slap. The thought of the red sting the legendary left hand left as a mark f its victory on his otherwise immaculate cheek sent some part of satisfaction through her. Certainly she had been the first – and possibly the last – who managed to land a hit on him, on his face no less, and lived to talk about it without having to face a full frontal assault of a horde of angry followers while the insulted fire shaman watched with amusement. Yes, amusement. That was what his face had displayed when he had been toying with her, pushing her against the rock and gripping her wrist, believing himself to have won the little squabble they had over the usual subject Anna argued over with people too dense to understand that she was right.

Ten points for the courier girl. He would certainly not forget that slap anytime soon.

She had reached the edge of the valley, a path that went between two high rock walls of the canyon. Her feet stopped almost on their own accord and she began wondering why she had even left the camp after all. There was anger building up in her and she could use a certain impish short someone to beat up after they would inquire about what was wrong with her again. She hadn't spoken much… at all… since the moment she managed to get the Hanagumi to back down and retreat. In truth, she was more worried now that they were gone.

During the times of her loneliness – as she felt lonely without Yoh – she kept contemplating on what exactly Hao´s plans were. His motives and goals were crystal clear, but her problem was that the answer to the question where Yoh came into the picture kept evading her more skillfully than a slippery wet fish. The fact that she learned that he _wanted_ Yoh to have the Chou Senji Ryakketsu, that he _wanted _Yoh to grow stronger to _help _him disturbed her somewhat. Her faith and trust in Yoh was iron, but she somehow doubted that what Hao had told her had something to do with her fiancé's willing cooperation. The fool, really, she mused. Perhaps not at the current moment, but one day, Yoh would be ready to take his place as the Shaman King and beat all of his opponents, be they Hao or his minions or anyone else.

She didn't even notice her foot kicked at the nearest pebble before she heard the small sound it made upon impact with the earth dozens of feet away.

"I pity whoever you imagined in place of that piece of rock."

Anna turned slowly, her mood not shifting, towards the source of the voice, not even bothering to hope that she was wrong. Certainly he was a lot of things, but petty wasn't one of them, thus it was doubtful he was there about the slap. Yet there he was, sitting on the nearest rock as if it was a golden throne, just like he had been the last time she had encountered him. Apparently, he had a natural talent or a hobby of making dramatic unexpected appearances, though there was nothing intimidating about his appearance. To the innocent eye, he seemed to be a boy in the kind of clothing that was praised for usefulness, not outward beauty – a surprisingly pristine creamy white poncho that almost fell to his knees and dark brown pants that matched his almost too long straight hair. Even his expression was one that suggested nothing but friendly intentions and serenity – eyes that could almost be warm and a carefree indulgent smile he rarely dropped.

Anna knew better. "Pity yourself, then. What do you want now?" Her manner was straight to the point, her tone leveled – there was no fear in her. The smile on his face never wavered. It was then that Anna realized what was slightly off – he was alone. True, she had encountered him only once before, but still, it was strange. Even the small child that seemed to follow him around was absent.

"There is nothing wrong with me checking upon Yoh and his companions. That you strayed away from them for a while is only a momentarily pleasant distraction. They tend to be rather boring in their childishness, Yoh´s companions."

There was a story behind each of them, the people Yoh had collected along the way to the tournament victory. Some had aided him, some had sought to stop him, but now, they were almost sickeningly loyal to him. But Anna had no desire and felt no need to explain anything to anyone, least of all to Hao. Thus, she repeated her question, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So you slithered down here simply for my personal annoyance? I thought you would have better pastimes to indulge yourself in other than spying on people."

"Yes, well, I wanted to see how much capacity for learning Yoh had when it came to my little book with my own eyes." He said, almost nonchalantly, still observing her. "And to encourage you to continue training him, given the opportunity to do so. As I've told you, I've heard a lot about you. A lot that I found to my liking." Momentarily, his calmness was replaced by a mischievous happiness. "I see you're a quicker learner than Yoh and are putting my shikigami to good use."

"They aren't yours anymore." she countered, folding her arms defiantly, "And you still haven't answered the question to my satisfaction."

"Yes, I see being kept in the dark doesn't suit you well. You'll simply have to learn that not the entire world answers to you, Anna. Not yet, anyway." Hao said pleasantly, using no honorific after her name. He merely shifted a bit on the stone but otherwise showed no sign of being uncomfortable. It was as if he had been sitting there for the longest time, that she had only failed to spot him. "Suffice to say that I meant it when I said that I liked you, even after you ruined my momentarily amusement at watching your little companions squirm by that slap of yours."

"I've told you before that Yoh isn't going to help you with your insane plots." Anna said flatly, ignoring what she wished to ignore.

"There are some things about Yoh you don't know yet." Hao noted, hopping down from the stone with the kind of grace that was more than enough to annoy Anna even more, especially since he promptly ignored that her fingers had curled into fists. Not too tightly, of course, but she was preparing herself just in case. And, not without reason – though he showed no sign of that – the fire shaman stopped just out of the range of her hands. "And there are even more things about my insane plots, as you call them, you do not understand." He was repaying her for the slap, she knew. The score appeared to be even now, as he was the only one who didn't show the slightest sign of even having the decency of flinching when she fixed him with her iciest stare. "I come to you with an offer, Anna. Your powers and wit have not gone unnoticed by me, as they might have gone by those who left you behind. You would have a place of honor among my followers."

The itako made a half-snort-like sound with her lips and folded her arms challengingly. "You're madder than I thought. I will never betray Yoh, as you very well know. Your cause is foolish; you have nothing to offer me."

Hao raised an eyebrow, but it wasn't more than a simple gesture. "What about the offer of allowing you to survive this encounter?"

"You won't kill me." Anna said, without the slightest doubt in her voice. "You could. But you won't."

"And my reason for that would be?"

"You seem to invest too much time into pestering me. You wouldn't have put this much effort in this attempt to convert me if you wanted to kill me upon my refusal."

And the smile returned at once. "Again you impress me, Anna. After a millennium of living, that is no easy feat for anyone to accomplish. I'll give you a chance to reconsider your answer. You need not give it to me now. One day, you yourself will want to speak to me, after your eyes have been opened to the only constant truth in this world."

Blonde eyebrows rose; the black eyes were full of doubt. "And what truth would that be?"

"That humans, no matter how many centuries they have to evolve and consider their actions, will always remain selfish, inconsiderate, a burden to this world. Even those of them who claim to be good cannot say they have never done a single wrong against the natural harmony. They, the only creatures that set themselves apart from nature, above all other beings, destroy the gifts they have been given, unaware of how precious and fragile those gifts are." Hao explained calmly, "Only shamans such as you and I understand that in order to help nature and progress on the path to enlightment, harmony must replace chaos, selfishness must be banished by sacrifice. We who know the spirits may gain their wisdom of the ages and understand how to better ourselves and this world."

"There is no "we". You are the only one who sets himself apart from humankind – all shamans are part of it, only their powers are a gift or a curse to them. They have faults just as those who don't see and command spirits. They can be good and evil, as all humans are." Anna shrewdly said, clearly unimpressed. "It is only you who fails to understand this. Even if you succeeded in creating your "perfect shaman kingdom", there would be those who would lust for power and conspire against you. And then you would have to be forever the tyrant, destroying each opponent. What harmony is that?" she demanded, her voice rising a little.

For the first time throughout their conversation, Hao looked away from her face, glancing at the stars, briefly. He then lowered his gaze and sighed almost inaudibly. He had heard these things from others, those who didn't understand that it didn't make sense in the larger concept. Wasn't the power of the King of Spirits unlimited? It could alter the world, it could change the way things were more completely than anyone could conceive. The power of spirits would change the destinies of all and thus save them from the destruction that was otherwise inevitable. And when all others would use these powers for selfish quests, childish needs… what wrong was there in questing for the good of the world itself?

"And you believe Yoh is the one who would use the power of the King of Spirits wisely?" Hao looked at Anna again, an almost twinkle-like spark passing through his brown eyes, both of amusement and of mocking. He was making her remember that, although he was better than most people, Yoh was still perhaps not the most perfect person in the world – after all, he was very much human, with faults that at times outweighed his strengths.

But he was her fiancé. He had saved her so long ago. And the first argument was answer enough, so she repeated it. "You believe _you_ are the ideal person to change the world?" she added.

"I have watched the world of men for centuries."

"And it has evolved – only you have not." Anna said, her arms relaxing slightly. She lowered them to her sides again, but her brow was still in a deep frown. "Perhaps it is only you who don't belong in this world any longer, Asakura Hao. No one wants your perfect shaman world, just as they have never wanted it. People don't like being compared to the ideal. It highlights their faults."

For the briefest moment, his smile flickered, like a candle swept by a sharp breeze. However, he recovered almost immediately. "And suppose I succeed."

"Then I wonder how much time it will take till you become disgusted by your followers." Anna's frown deepened momentarily. "Before you kill them for some thing or the other. In the end, you will be alone."

Even the sound of the wind could be heard in the following silence. But them – to Anna's greatest annoyance and surprise – Hao laughed softly into her face. "Even if I would kill them all, I wouldn't kill you." Slowly, he tilted his head to the side with an interest matching that of a child looking at an exotic animal in a zoo. "You almost make me want to spoil your surprise and tell you exactly why Yoh will help me, Anna, just to savor the look on your face."

"Yoh will never help you." Anna repeated firmly for at least the sixth time that evening only. "I will never join you. Our conversation is over." Spinning on her heel, the blonde itako turned away from the shaman and proceeded to walk away in steps that would have crushed any unfortunate creature slithering on the ground if it had the misfortune of finding its way under her foot.

Hao´s eyes continued their observation of her hair being swept by the wind for a few seconds. Finally, he realized who the girl reminded him of and why he had picked her out of the crowd with such natural ease. And while her defiance was slightly irritating, it was also highly amusing. She didn't understand that there was simply nothing she could do, for all her claims of Yoh´s firmness. Anna had no idea that Yoh was simply a byproduct of the process reincarnation that, under any other circumstances, would never have even existed, and that all of his power had very little to do with the Asakura lineage. The split soul of Asakura Hao, part of which resided in Yoh, had given both of the incarnations power, though the balance was tipped considerably in the favor of the boy that had gained full memory of his past existence.

There was no Yoh – there was only Hao, whose soul had divided into two parts, one composed of his former cheerfulness and love of humans, the other of his cunning and power, all the more effective now that it lacked the traces of doubt it might have contained before. Of course, both halves were Hao – the half which was Yoh simply had no memory of his previous life and little idea of how amazing the powers of Asakura Hao were. For now.

Anna was an unlikely companion – and fiancée – for Yoh, but certainly the correct trainer. And there was simply something highly likable about her from Hao´s point of view. Not that he loved her – what a preposterous concept that would be. In all of his long life, Hao had been dead set only on completing his plan. Before that, he had been a monk and thus had never been even remotely tempted to start a family of his own. In fact, he had not given women much thought throughout the years, only if they were useful to him as followers or enemies that needed to be disposed of. The only woman he had ever thought of fondly was his mother. And upon encountering this girl, who was walking away from him in a fashion that would have granted anyone else a swift and untimely death, this Kyoyama Anna, he found himself reminded of his mother in many ways. He found her amusing with her stone-cold manner, her iron-clad belief in Yoh, and the way she cared for little else except getting her way. Her power, her beauty, her defiance – all those were simply things that made her who she was.

One day soon, she would realize it all, once she knew the truth about Yoh. How he wished he could see her face the moment she would understand that by accepting and honoring the fact that she was Yoh´s bride logically made her his as well. After all, they were the same entity, the same soul, the same being, only divided into two bodies.

For now.

"Anna." He saw her stop, but tense as well. It seemed that her mind was telling her to move and forget about all this, but a part of her was still curious about what he wanted to say. Anna didn't turn. "I'm looking forward to the day you realize that was the wrong answer. I'll be waiting for the right one."

Before she had a chance to even move a muscle, there was a second of bright illumination and the distinct sound of flames behind her, which showed that he had vanished more clearly than his actual absence. It made one wonder how he had managed to appear so easily when his disappearance, albeit more flamboyant, was also more attention-drawing.

The itako stood there, statuesque, for several minutes, simply listening to the night. Although they were predictable, she didn't like Hao´s last words one bit. It gave her the feeling that he knew something she _should_ know, but didn't. And, if there was one thing Anna despised (apart from not getting her way) it was being kept in the dark. And in the dark she was, literally. Not that any of those soundly sleeping at camp knew or cared, really. Not that she cared about them, really.

Not that she contemplated those last words more than her normally down-to-earth behavior and strict mind would have allowed her to. They had been too certain, even for Hao. Filled with some hidden meaning. And, knowing full well that Hao was many things, but certainly not stupid, her thoughts strayed to Yoh… and how she would kill anyone who would do anything to him. Then she would kill Yoh for failing her, of course, though perhaps not literally this time.

For the first time, even the ice queen felt a chill, recalling the smile he had given her. She couldn't place the instinctive wariness she felt or the slight sinking sensation in her stomach as she tried and failed to forget that there was so much similarity, if only outwardly, between him and Yoh, because they were blood-relatives... only separated by roughly a thousand years.The breeze swept her black dress and her hair again. But she showed no signs of weakness. She would be damned if she would give anyone the chance to see her unsettled like this. For all she knew, the two brown eyes that had surveyed her with an unblinking interest were still watching her from somewhere – she wouldn't put anything past Hao.

Not even the fact that he might have actually meant every word that he told her.


	2. Chapter 2

He had been watching her long before she entered the glade where she assumed she would find him.

Truth to be told, there hadn't been a day ever since their last encounter when a thought or two from either of them slipped to the other… though it was hardly any kind of thought that description would suggest. It was simply hard for each of them not to think of the other, for reasons that were clear as daylight – a not-so-idle interest and a calculative suspicion.

His eyes, all-seeing as they were (or as he liked to think they were), sparkled with mischievous glee upon seeing the look of irritated anger passed through Anna's face as she obviously realized that he had told her that this would happen, that she would seek him out on her own. Of course, that was no irrational conclusion to the current state of affairs. Hao could very well understand why her pride was suffering by the fact that she had to submit to his logic as easily as he understood everything else about this girl. All but one thing – the glass wall he couldn't pass when attempting to search her thoughts. Like her face, the girl's mind was either a perfect blank or a heavily protected fortress that shut him out without difficulty.

Right now, however, no amount of self-control could hide her mood from her face, the anger that she was deliberately seeking him out, albeit grudgingly and with nothing but demands and questions as her intention, but nevertheless willingly seeking out his presence, his knowledge, him. After all, he had said that he would be there for her whenever she would need help, had he not? It was time to hold him to that word and get some answers out of him – or beat them out of him, whichever worked better in the end.

Most of the people she knew… no, all of the people who had even a vague idea of who Hao was would have viewed this way of thinking not as foolhardy – they would have screamed out that it was downright insane to think she could do something like this.

But no one would have dared to question her sanity – not itako no Anna, who always did as she pleased and hardly ever listened to anyone. They would have debated whether she had lost her mind in the attempt to plot Hao´s demise… or if she had seen a better chance of winning by throwing her lot with Hao.

Anna stopped in the middle of the clearing, long after sunset. The summer's warm weather allowed her to leave her heavier clothes at their temporary home and once again wear her trademark black clothes, though this time the bandana was missing. Thus she blended into the night almost ideally. Sharp eyes scanned the surroundings for a moment before narrowing slightly.

Something in her sighed angrily – the bastard was going to be way too smug for his own good, surely – but she beat it down. "Hao. I know you're there, so come out." She said out loud without an introduction, her eyes never resting on a single spot. For all she knew, he could appear out of thin air.

And, naturally, her expectations weren't too high. A burst of flames erupted behind her and Anna whipped the hair out of her face just in time to see the light settle to an acceptable level and a familiar figure to appear, sitting comfortably in a giant fiery palm of spiritual energy. To an outsider, this sight would surely have seemed downright strange, as no part of his clothing or skin was even slightly singed by the fiery energy surrounding him. This time, however, another little figure was humbly sitting at his side – the African child that followed him, thoroughly sexless to her eyes, but cleanly clad and certainly not malnourished or ill-treated.

However, her attention settled on the figure of Hao, who surveyed her with an almost kind, but clearly triumphant smile, which irritated her even more than the proud smirk he had given her when he had declared her worthy of being the Shaman King's wife.

"My, what a pleasant surprise." He said in a velvety voice, his smile widening for a fraction of a second. "Anna. What brings you to me today? Do you have my answer, or do you simply grace me with your company for no other reason than a whim?"

"Shut up." Anna snapped, irritated. He knew _damned_ well why she was there and she wasn't buying the "be nice" act one bit. "I came because of Yoh."

Opacho, sitting quietly at Hao´s side, was scandalized. _No one_ spoke that way to Hao-sama and lived! Yet Hao-sama was still smiling at the blonde girl... perhaps he wanted to mock her before killing her? But no. Hao-sama had forgiven her even hurting him with her slap. Or appeared to, anyway. Perhaps Hao-sama liked the girl? Opacho couldn´t imagine any other reason for letting this insult go unnoticed. But even if she, Opacho, had done something like that, punishment wouldn´t avoid her. The girl, Anna, had to be really special to be given this kind of treatment.

"Naturally you did. I suppose you wish to give me another lecture on how he will never help me and become the Shaman King for sure." The smile was really getting on Anna's nerves, even as it morphed to something darker as a gleam passed through Hao´s eyes. "And I suppose you know by now how useless it is to even suggest that he has a chance to resist destiny?"

Anna frowned. "I don't believe in that kind of destiny. I came because I have a few things I need to make clear. You have the answers I seek."

"Of course." Hao said, off-handedly, the dark glint never leaving his eyes. "And you will have them, free of charge. Never doubt my respect for you, Anna." He explained when she raised an eyebrow. "I would rather have you with me than against me."

"The very fact that you yet live is cause enough for me to be against you." Anna said, in her usual cool manner, "But your honesty is… appreciated." She paused for a moment, unsure if she should have stated such a near-compliment at all. As he showed no more smugness than before, however – less, perhaps – she proceeded. "I understand that you and Yoh are twins. I can comprehend that you are closely blood-related and that twins usually share similar traits, even personality, or, in this case, power. I want to know if there is anything more to your relation to Yoh. Even for twins…" she swallowed emptily, but knew it was true, "even for twins, I see too many… far…"

"Too many similarities?" Hao inquired, watching her struggle to admit such a thing was true with mild interest.

The crease on Anna's brow deepened. "Not in goals. Only in general personality."

"I understand your meaning." Hao said with a curt nod. And, to Anna's complete astonishment, he awarded her with a full smile, as if congratulating her on her own cleverness. However, it wasn't that which unnerved her. It was that, for a moment, she could see her fiancé's face in him, as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes and her vision had been cleared. The veil fell back when her eyes found the star-shaped emblem on his earring, the closest thing to his face able to bring her back to reality. "And I believe you would have comprehended it on your own, had you bothered to give it more thought. But you didn't really want to give it more thought, did you, Anna? The conclusion could perhaps be too much even for you to bear."

"So I am right." Anna whispered, almost to herself, with wide eyes that never moved from his face. She blinked a couple of times, attempting to return her thinking to normal, to no avail, of course.

Hao´s expression softened slightly upon seeing her shock. He had pushed her a bit too far, perhaps. "It could be considered to be something loosely resembling what human doctors identify as memory loss." He saw that a part of her was listening, but the rest was trying to fight off the shock. "Reincarnation is, after all, a process not to be taken lightly, and if the soul itself is the one initiating the process, a high level of power is required even for the first step. However, that two bodies were available when I needed only one was not part of my original intent. Thus I didn't consider the implications of placing myself into a womb carrying two children instead of just one. It was a miscalculation on my part." He summarized, as if dismissing the thought and having no wish to return to it. "In the end, it didn't matter. I had full consciousness of one healthy body, with all of my original powers, even strengthened by the repeated… infusion, you might say, of the Asakura blood. That part of it passed into an entity separate from me was not that important at that point."

Anna recovered. "So you're implying that while you were both born from the same mother, you are two different beings, only that you accidentally passed some of your power into Yoh?" her consciousness didn't even have time to consider the fact that she was having a normal, almost polite (for her standards) conversation with Asakura Hao.

The fire shaman sighed slightly and shook his head. "Anna, Anna, if only it were that simple." There was something strange about the way he said her name, something… remarkable. The two syllables held no fear, no anger, no negative emotion. His voice said them simply, but with a quiet respect, though by no means did he defer to her. It was, in a way, highly irritating, but also completely soothing. "Had things gone according to plan, as they had five centuries previously, my brother would have never existed… and you would be surprised to find far more of him in me than you are now seeing. Or perhaps you see it in reverse, really."

The itako understood – her shrewdness took over her thinking – and the concept fell into place at last. Yoh was a part of Hao put into a separate body, an aspect of his personality that had perhaps lain dormant for many a year, and, given the chance to surface, the subconscious self of Hao severed ties with it rather than to bother to suppress it for another lifetime. Thus he was Hao… and yet he was not. After all, Yoh had no memory of any such "previous life" and certainly harbored no secret feelings of hatred for humankind. Thus the former "part" of Hao was now a different being entirely, with no attachment to his former self. He might stem from Hao… but he wasn't Hao.

Hao, the only Hao, was in front of her, attempting to convince her to see things from his point of view – that as the "creator" of Yoh, he had a right to "destroy" him as well and reforge the soul of the original Asakura Hao in its complexity.

"You are a fool." Anna's dress and hair were swept to the right by a sudden breeze, but she felt no chill. Not even when Hao gave her a questioning look. "You yourself created your nemesis."

For the first time, the child at the shaman's side stirred. "Hao-sama, what does that word mean?" a bell like voice chimed in and Anna was able to guess that it was probably a girl, though she couldn't tell for sure.

And a soft laugh came from Hao as he glanced at his companion. "Opacho, Anna is suggesting that Yoh will be able to defeat me." Opacho, as the child was apparently called, glanced at Anna, then back at Hao, apparently unable to envision such a thing. "Your confidence in him is admirable, despite being misplaced. But I suppose I expected such an answer from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the itako folded her arms and practiced one of her numerous glares, to no avail.

Hao smiled pleasantly. "That I am fortunate that nothing can shatter the faith you have. That you are more than perfectly suited to being the wife of the Shaman King. And that I repeat my offer to you once more – you have seen that I am efficient when it comes to the goal I had set out to fulfill. With your help, I would be a step closer to achieving it."

"Never."

"It wouldn't be betrayal in the way you understand it." His expression of confidence didn't fade for a even second. "You still don't understand the crucial thing, Anna. The longer Yoh lives as a separate entity, the more of his true self he will discover. I speak of personality traits as well as power. He will come to do things - he himself might not understand why he feels the desire to do so, other than that it feels natural to him."

Anna gritted her teeth. "You speak of him as if he weren't even human, as if he were beneath your notice, even. Choose words more carefully, Hao."

"Yes, I have felt the power of your fists already, Anna. I wouldn't want to relive that experience, though I confess it brings back memories." Seeing her surprise, Hao continued, "I have a theory about you, Anna. I have known one person in my first lifetime, one who had a warrior's heart like you, but was born into the body of a woman, thus wasn't acknowledged as much as she deserved. It was a woman I respected greatly, for her strength as much as for her giving birth to me."

"Your mother?" the itako didn't hide her surprise. Then again, it made sense. Even the infamous Hao hadn't been infamous for all his life. He had been a child, once, then a famous but feared monk. And, in the end, all of his desire to create the perfect shaman world probably had a root in those early years of his life, when people feared what they couldn't understand.

Anna knew it from experience that shamans didn't always benefit from their powers.

The perfect shaman world would be a world where no one feared shamans, where no one hated them… where no one looked at you with terror only because you had means of connecting with the supernatural.

And, as suddenly as he brought it up, Hao dismissed the thought. "But back to important matters. I will answer another question for you, one which you didn't pose because you don't want to even consider the question, much less the answer. Why do I take such interest in you? After all, useless as most of Yoh´s companions are, some of them have potential and would perhaps be more willing to cooperate than you. Well," the "I-know-something-you-don't" smile was back on his face, as if it had never vanished before, "apart from your obvious qualities, there is one other thing. You are Yoh´s fiancée."

"Your point being?" Impatience returned to Anna – she was looking forward to ending this discussion. She had the answer she needed and didn't need any more smart-mouth advice from Hao.

"Have you never considered what it would mean if I were to succeed in getting Yoh to aid me?" Hao inquired idly, though his eyes were serious. "Certainly you remember that I told you that, as far as I'm concerned, Yoh is part of me. Consider the implications of being engaged to a piece of a puzzle that is about to be rejoined. Logically, the attachment that binds you to Yoh binds you to me as well."

And there, Anna froze. Truthfully, she hadn't considered anything like that. After all, she hadn't even known that Hao would be interested in such things as a fiancée, an engagement, an arranged but not unwelcome marriage in any other way than a means of getting to Yoh. But she caught up with his thoughts and what such a thing would imply. But the Asakura family in its entireness stood against that. And she had one more card to play, one more statement to make.

"Yoh will become the Shaman King." She said flatly, looking Hao in the eye again. "He will, because he doesn't believe he has to save the world by doing so. His mind his open and he doesn't know the restrictions your way of thinking does. I can never believe in you the way I believe in him, simply because you are unable to understand this."

"Perhaps it is you who is thinking in a box, Anna." Hao said softly, not even having the decency to change his expression and wipe that irritating smile off his face when Anna scolded him. "Perhaps you are so used to the restrictions of the material world that you can neither imagine nor realize just how much can be changed if there is the will to do so. And humans? Their power lies in destruction, not in creation. Only nature creates, and shamans are one with nature."

Blond eyebrows shot up. "Shamans can destroy as well. You are a prime example of that."

"We could debate my methods and goals till the end of the world." Hao said with a sign that showed slight weariness. Clearly, he had debated with himself at length about all these issues long before he – as the Asakura family claimed – lost his mind. Before he decided that extermination was the only acceptable course of action. "The bottom line is that the King of Spirits allowed me and my ideas to progress. Even if by some miracle, you would succeed in destroying me again, it is a simple matter for me to return again in time for the next tournament. I can wait. It is the planet that cannot. It's high time for my world to come into existence."

"I despise you more and more by the minute."

"And I grow to like you more with every word you say." Again, Yoh´s smile appeared, looking thoroughly natural and unnatural at the same time when spread across Hao´s features.

Anna frowned and proceeded to walk away, as she had done at their previous meeting. "We will meet again."

"I can hardly wait." The irritatingly pleasant voice called after her casually. There was the familiar crack of fire and then, the glade was silent, undisturbed once more.

On the way home, Anna debated with herself whether to be angry or irritated, or both, damn the decisions. Certainly Hao liked to toy with her and it gave him great pleasure to see her furious, something that was indisputable proof of his insanity alone. Because she didn't enjoy such impertinence when one was speaking to the future Shaman Queen. She didn't appreciate being dealt with as an equal. She didn't like being viewed as just Anna, not the frightening trainer of Yoh. Well… it was a change, certainly, but that didn't mean it was pleasant to be looked upon as if there was nothing else expected of her other than being herself. Perhaps if it had been Yoh that had looked upon her that way… but this was Hao, which was a different category entirely.

But she quickly realized just how easily the positions could have been reversed, just how easily Yoh could have been Hao and Hao could have been Yoh, had the spirit that invaded those two bodies made a different choice. It was a disturbing thought, more unnatural than her fusion techniques, as it was permanent. And she wondered if it was truly only the absence of memories that kept her fiancé from becoming the same as Hao, simply the second half of a broken soul.

On the way back to his followers, Hao saw Opacho´s curiosity about Anna clearly and answered bits and pieces about her here and there, when he felt like it. But it had been a foreign concept, claiming her as his fiancée, really. Not that Anna was by any means repulsive or inadequate for the role – he could hardly imagine another woman in the role of the wife of the Shaman King, after all, but placing himself at her side in such a binding fashion was truly strange to him.

Throughout all of his life, he had been alone. Allies had turned on him; people close to him had died. Few shared his dream, but some saw the light and came to him. And then this girl came along, with a coldness that he himself might have succumbed to, had he not gained a new goal in his life, certainly broken, like he had been, her will focused on a goal not so different from his own – a simple life. A life without fear, without regret. An existence where there was harmony, peace, serenity. Hao wasn't an idealist. He knew there were sacrifices to be made, that there would be uprisings, petty squabbles. But if a firm rule was what was required, then he would provide it, for he could.

And Anna, the shrew, the only companion of Yoh that pretended that her goals were her only focus and fought for her own selfishness as well as the good of the world, believing Yoh to be worthy of being Shaman King, Anna, who never wavered in her faith… Anna, he realized, he could imagine a future with, even if it would be based on selfishness – from his side, because she brought back memories of his mother; from hers, because Yoh would no longer be a factor after his plan was carried out and her goal, above all else, was the crown. But then would come the ordinary world, day-to-day life, and neither was used to existing in it on their own. And perhaps together, they stood a chance against the world neither had ever known.

If a normal life was ever destined for either of them


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't just Anna's imagination – which she had very little to begin with. The house was getting too damn crowded these days. Surprisingly, the itako discovered that if she had a choice between staying in the house and listening to Horohoro and Chocolove teasing Ren, Ryu fawning over Lyserg, Faust and Eliza doing unspecified things, having to put up with Manta in general and ignoring the occasional X-Laws that came for a visit _and_ the chance to have her privacy with the increasing chance that she might encounter a certain Asakura Hao yet again, taking her chances with Hao seemed more soothing for her nerves, which had been rather on edge lately, with the situation changing and the X-Laws and them suddenly getting to understand each other better, though it came at the cost of Yoh temporarily quitting the tournament.

It had been weeks since she had met the fire shaman – hopefully for the last time, though she highly doubted it. – and thus far, she had led a quieter life, switching from her black dress to a more celebrative kimono from time to time. formal wear was important for the future wife of the Shaman King, after all, and though her outfit was far lighter than the heavy many-layered things that were usually considered kimonos, it was a pastel-colored and floral-decorated simplified version of the aforementioned garment. The first time she had worn it, she had almost given everyone a heart attack. If the kimono was pink, everyone would have probably died on the spot. Fortunately, it wasn't even anything as cheery as sunny yellow – rather, it was of a light blue color that wasn't exactly displeasing even to Anna's eye, and she didn't care much for colors, overall. After all, there was little to consider bright about Anna's personality, though she was bright when it came to intellect.

Anyone who had experienced the effects of uncontrollable reishi probably wasn't all too chirpy, however.

The power, despite diminishing after the defeat of the oni her subconscious mind conjured up, lay dormant for a time before returning, though it no longer completely overwhelmed her senses as it used to. The minds of humans were a tricky thing, not to be trifled with, and anyone of a lesser will would have gone mad within weeks. Anna had survived for a decade, but didn't avoid hatred. And she knew well she would have gone mad soon had it not been for Yoh.

The house disappeared behind the nearest trees as Anna, despite the lateness of the evening, moved away from it. The air was cooler and the night was refreshing. The loneliness, however, was best about it. No more screams and arguments, no more fights, no more having to scream and rage and beat people up to have a little peace.

She sat down on a boulder for a while and attempted to meditate, but quickly discovered that the fabric of her clothing was not well suited for such an activity and wondered just how Hao managed to keep his clothing so clean when he probably lived in the wilderness. After all, if anyone knew his address or temporary residence, their problem would be solved almost instantly and they wouldn't have to waste precious time in the tournament. If she could get within range and give him a few more good slaps, he would likely be stunned enough to allow some real attack to be launched…

Now there was an idea.

Shifting and moving away, she slouched on, relishing in the glorious silence that surrounded her. Even woodland creatures apparently decided that it was dinnertime now and left her alone. At the moment, she would have probably blasted them all into the fifth hell with her shikigami just because they stood in her way. Anna didn't mind hiking, as long as there was no one around to slow her down. her pace was steady and she had the way back memorized. Kami help anyone who would even dare think of attacking her.

Kami help her.

Anna stopped dead in her tracks, hoping that her vision was clouded and wished that she could conjure up another oni right now just to crush a certain fire shaman's skull.

Hao was sitting meters away from her, thoroughly aware of her presence but not even turning to acknowledge her. Truthfully, he hadn't been able to sense her presence through any but the most ordinary means, as her mind remained as opaque as ever. He himself had a hobby of disappearing on people, even his followers, to relax and contemplate the silence of the world, to call out to the spirits and to clear his mind. While all his thoughts were focused on his ultimate goal, there were moments when even he allowed his mind to relax and forget the titanic weigh that had been placed on his shoulders.

They said he was insane.

And, in retrospect, perhaps he was. Perhaps madness was the only means of saving his sanity in the world of humans who knew no restraint, no kindness. The gentleness with which he had treated them was a seed that had never given him or any others fruit of any kind. He had loved the world, once. He had avenged the murder of his beloved mother and had longed for an ordinary life, despite his almost godly powers. There was no pride in thinking that he was extraordinarily gifted. There was no shame in admitting that he was thoroughly cursed. The insight into the minds of men had brought him sadness, despair… and then came the moment when not even Matamune could see his vision, the world cleansed of the filth that infested it… the vision when his own mind would find peace, because the voices made it difficult to be good. They came uninvited, seeking wisdom, complaining, boasting, a swirl of negative emotions burdening him.

He had never intended to hurt anyone. But becoming a bystander was not an option. With great power came great responsibility. And if the human race was not able to change, it would take someone with the will and power to do it himself to save the planet. And himself as well.

For so long, he remained there, motionless, ignoring his sudden companion…

And then, as if a murmur from a dreaming person, his voice came. "Come closer, Anna, there is no need to be afraid." It was a taunt, Anna knew, but the utterly peaceful manner in which it was spoken didn't allow her to voice her irritation. She had never heard Hao speak with such inner calm – and nothing else. perhaps even the teasing was unintentional.

With a twinge of annoyance at herself for even considering it, much less obeying such a command, she sat down, just out of range in case she needed to defend herself but close enough to be able to examine the strange sight of Hao without his usual annoying (albeit not unreasonable) smugness. The rest of him was completely the same – however, for some strange reason, Anna was distinctly unnerved as the two brown eyes reopened and settled on her again, becoming the embodiment of intelligence and serenity, as if Hao was in complete harmony with his surroundings, excluding her, perhaps. A strange tactic, this, and new.

"You will not believe me, but it was not my intention to seek you out tonight. Nor was it yours to seek out me, so it would seem." Again, a smile crossed his features, but it was filled with something that could only be identified as wisdom. Anna was thoroughly perplexed. "So we might as well rejoice that the will of the Great Spirits smiles upon us tonight." It seemed that that was his way of saying "Hi. Nice night, isn't it?" And then, just as it seemed nothing stranger could happen, he actually lowered the gaze he so often fixed her with. "You look very lovely in colors other than black, if you don't mind me saying so, Anna."

She minded. Anna blinked away the momentarily confusion and the customary frown returned to her face. "What are you doing here, Hao?" she demanded at once, though she realized the stupidity of the question only later.

"Do you not take walks for no reason?" he inquired, not at all harshly, looking at her with that smile again. the serenity of his expression kept Anna from retorting as harshly as she originally intended.

She scoffed. "All I do has a reason. The idiots Yoh calls friends invade my house every evening. I would have killed them had I stayed there a moment longer." Anna said, not at all noticing the deepness of the confession. "I suppose you get tired of your petty followers once in a while as well."

For a fraction of a second, it seemed that he beamed at her, but then again, his countenance hadn't changed at all. "Reishi is not something the weak-minded can handle and in the presence of many conflicting minds… but you would know that." And there, Anna froze again. Effortlessly, he managed to drive her out of her wits. At the bitter mention of his most painful power, even Hao´s smile faltered and didn't resurface so brightly. "Yoh sometimes thinks about it. That little friend of his, Manta, I believe, has been terrified of you ever since he learned of it. Then again, you are nothing if not intimidating, Anna."

"A…arigato." Anna muttered lamely before she could catch herself. "So you pass time by probing the minds of your enemies? Or is it like it was with me? Can you control it?"

"No, my reishi is at a level too high for anyone to control." And again, he smiled at Anna, not at all unnerved by her frown. It was… pleasing… to have someone whose words could be interpreted as concern for his own well-being, though their aim was really very selfish. "So I understand how you feel."

"Hmpf." Was all Anna said to that. She couldn't actually contradict it, but she didn't necessarily want to agree with it either. Comparing her to Hao was the last mistake a person might make in their lives. "Well, I won't keep you with my trivial thoughts then." She said at once and moved to stand up. She never managed to rise higher than a few centimeters, as a hand gently rested on her shoulder with more swiftness than her eye could catch sight of, a command, but one imploring her to stay.

"Please, don't leave on my account. Your presence is soothing… I cannot hear your thoughts." Hao added as a clarification. Anna's eyes were nothing but stupefied. This was the first time he had overstepped the boundaries of her personal space without being almost slapped first and she found herself unable to respond in any other way than sitting down, as the touch was not a threat in any way.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "So that's why you continue to pester me at every possible moment? You know that I don't particularly enjoy these conversations we seem to be having far too often recently." A laugh came… and its merriness and sincerity filled Anna with wonder and suspicion yet again. "What are you playing at this time, Hao? If you think this'll fool me, think again. I still hate you. You're still my enemy."

"If I believed I could sway your devotion to the Asakura family in one day, you wouldn't be nearly as interesting." Hao flashed her a grin that looked surprisingly boyish on his features. The contrast with his mature eyes was startling. "You amuse me each time we meet."

"You find hatred amusing?"

"Contrary to what you may think, Anna, I don't believe you hate me." Again, seriousness came into his face and, combined with the smile, settled back into a peaceful serenity. "You carry a lot of hatred within you, but you are quite weak inside." The right hand that had been supporting Anna's side flew into the air almost quicker than the eye and took a precisely aimed swing at the side of Hao´s face closer to her. And as before, it was caught firmly by the wrist and slowly wrenched away from its target. "Aggressive behavior changes nothing," and, to Anna's rage, the legendary left hand was deflected as well. "and I would prefer my face in the current state. You really are like my mother."

"Then you should allow me to punish you as a disobedient child." Anna struggled, "If I were your mother, I would have attempted to beat some sense into you." Both her arms were pushed to her sides and held firmly there. She would have attempted to land at least one good kick for such an outrage, but the Japanese style of sitting didn't provide such freedom of movement for her legs. "I also hated all of humankind… their weakness, their hatred, their thousands upon thousands of flaws. I was..." the blonde itako shut her eyes tightly and lowered her head before finally mustering the courage to say what she wanted to say, "I was afraid that the world I saw within their thoughts could one day come to exist in reality."

"Then you understand me." Came the whisper from somewhere nearby.

"No…" Anna shook her head. "Yes… I do… but I can never side with you. Because there has to be another way. Yoh showed me there can be another way. If it weren't for him…" A shudder passed through her. "If it weren't for him, I would be like you." She looked Hao straight in the eye, her gaze narrowing slightly. "Yoh saved me. I came to love him because of that. You might claim to know me, but you can never compete with that. That is why I will never, ever, betray Yoh."

The proximity of their faces, however unintentional, suddenly became a more obvious thing. Still, it didn't seem to bother Hao that much – apparently, the eleventh and fifteenth century had a less-than-accurate definition of invading personal space and he hadn't yet had a chance to discover the current one. There was no trace of any kind of background intent on Hao´s face, only traces of a contemplating expression, even as he drew closer to Anna and then, the pressure on her wrists loosened, moving to her back, but in a manner that suggested that her captor was afraid that he might break her or offend her, one of those, even as his arms locked around her and his head settled on her shoulder, as if it belonged there. The stunned itako felt air leave her lungs as warmness surrounded her and her body went strangely limp, as if icy water had been splashed all over her in a very quick instant. A pair of hands gripped the behind of her kimono with need, though only the fabric, not the skin itself. Surprisingly soft hair brushed against Anna's cheek gently; and Hao, like a child, rested his head on her shoulder.

And she felt a heartbeat, a pulsing sound against her own.

"I wanted to do this…" a whisper came to her ear as Hao withdrew, but remained close enough for Anna to comprehend what had happened. This time, the both hands found their target and a reddish sting appeared on both Hao´s cheeks, like a light blush. But no one had ever smiled while Anna was slapping them and certainly not afterwards. Still he gazed at her fondly, as if he knew her through and through and expected nothing less of her.

With a sigh, he bowed his head and closed his eyes for the briefest moment, almost as if defeated. Then… "I love you, Anna." He said, loud enough for her to hear, looking her in the eye.

Anna couldn't think. She couldn't understand, think logically, or even protest. There was no possible answer, not even her fists were answer enough, and the simple confession, not coated in sugary words like those in the soap operas she so often watched, was, in a frightening way, touching. And she understood well enough what he was truly telling her.

_No one will ever understand you the way I do. No one knows what it is to see the world bare, stripped of its camouflage and pretense. They believe in goodness without knowing evil, they cannot understand the true nature of the human mind. The hatred, the anger, the selfishness… you and I have felt both, for we were ordinary before. We learned to understand, to predict, to master…_

_You and I are alike in more ways than they are able to understand. Our abilities, our minds, our souls set us apart from the rest, because we see into each other without having the supernatural ability to do so. the vision of the world I have is one you could have had too. you can learn to accept it, envision it, the moment you understand that my truth is absolute. But I have no intention of pushing you into accepting my victory. My respect for you, who chose not to separate herself from the world as I did, but to face it, grows with each moment. _

_I need you to finish what I started. I can go on without you, but I don't want to. Your presence fills me with something that pleases me, your countenance is printed deep into my memory and doesn't fade. Your soul is familiar to me, whether you are my mother reincarnated as I am her son or whether you are simply a wonder the great spirits created. It is no accident that we meet. Your coming is what strengthens me on my final journey._

_I offer you my soul, such as it is, in exchange for your company. I have lived for what seems an eternity, but I have never encountered a being of my own kind before I met you. They don't deserve you and are aware of it to some degree. You frighten them because you are different, because you see what they don't, cannot, see. _

_It wasn't my intent to care for you. I never hoped to care for another living soul. But of all the creatures that walk this earth, you are the only one that I cannot let escape my notice._

_I have learned to love you, Anna… and I would have you at my side in the times to come._

The petrified itako, frightened, unable to move, lowered her gaze. And, remembering the embrace, she understood he was correct. She didn't hate him. It wasn't possible. There was only anger there, an enraged pity that came from the fact that she really did see the similarities between them, though her powers and fate had taken a different turn from his own.

It all could have been… could be as he said…

"Don't say what you are thinking." He interrupted her train of thought. "I know what you would say. I understand. But you must always remember that the day of my victory will come… and then, only then, will I come for your answer. For now… simply stay with me a little longer, Anna. I don't know what the warmth I feel is, except that I remember feeling it with my mother. It doesn't fade when you are near, for all your flaws and slaps." Hao smiled at her. "I won´t say it again if you don't wish to hear it… it frightens me as much as it does you. But it remains the truth and I would like you to know it. I doubt anyone else will be able to say that to you with complete honesty. I know that perhaps no one will ever say it to me with complete honesty – and I care very little. But allow me to entertain myself with the thought that one day, you will say it. And if bearing your blows is what I must suffer to make you stay now, it is an adequate price. So stay… please."

Silent, motionless, the itako gazed at him with wide eyes, understanding only a fraction of the scope of what she had been told. Tomorrow, they would be enemies again, never speaking, only watching each other and waiting for the final battle. Should Yoh fall, she would have to give him an answer, which she struggled to convince herself was a downright refusal. Yet… she seated herself again.

"Baka." Anna muttered grouchily, but the word rang slightly hollow and very untrue. A breeze swept past her, making her want to leave with it.

But she stayed.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N**_: This is the final chapter of this fic, short as it is. I'm perfectly satisfied with it – and I hope you are as well. Given the fact that the manga (which I finished reading, it was cool) ends in a very open manner, I wanted to leave room for speculation here. So you can all make your theories as to what happened between chapters three and four. This is an epilogue of sorts, just like the manga has with the short story that follows.

_Warning – _just in case, I raised the rating for this chapter. It doesn't contain violence or sexual content, only implications of the latter. Still, better safe than sorry, right?

Now that you're all eager to read it, I won't keep you with any more rambling – but I might write more Hao x Anna in the future, though probably not too soon.

Anyway, thank you for reading, please review if you have the time and, above all, enjoy.

Zerb

X X X X

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san!"

She hated being called that. Somehow, she disliked the otherwise respectful way of addressing one's mother. Even when the precious golden-haired child who spoke it was her own.

"Okaa-san, look, I can do it, I can use the leaf shikigami!"

"I see it, Hana. But don't take your playthings into the house or you'll be cleaning the mess you make."

Six-year-old Asakura Hana stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide, and immediately turned around and ran back out the way he came. Despite his frail, young age, Hana knew that his mother was one scary lady. Friend or foe, acquaintance or lifelong nemesis, she treated all with the same manner that would make hell freeze over, if it ever had the misfortune of allowing her to enter it.

But okaa-san was pretty, beautiful, even, and many didn't realize that this iciness was more of a protective barrier than real hatred or meanness.

After all, there was nothing and no one that would harm them now, if they wouldn't allow it themselves – and okaa-san wouldn't allow it, for certain.

She was the pinnacle of a modern yet conservative Japanese woman, the type that quietly dominated her husband while secretly plotting the demise of her enemies, though she still upheld a certain air of traditional eastern female submissiveness. Her long, unusually colored hair now fell down to her waist, perfectly straight and glittering like a stream of golden silk. She wore almost exclusively black – that had disturbed Hana a bit before he understood that okaa-san only dressed up when otou-san told her she would look splendid in something or asked her to.

It wasn't that unusual that his otou-san was his idol – after all, there was much to look up to in his otou-san. But apart from the qualities a boy might admire in an ordinary parent, there were many other things to love about otou-san, a lot to learn from him.

He was the Shaman King, after all.

Hana didn't understand it fully yet, but he himself had begun training with Ponchi and Konchi, two of the many spirits that resided within their home (a kitsune and a tanuki) and was slowly learning to control his newfound abilities. What he understood was that both okaa and otou were masters of these abilities and each possessed tremendous power and skill, despite their relatively young age. After all, in Japanese culture, they were barely adults themselves – just over twenty one.

Okaa maintained order among the local spirits thanks to her own shikigami – and Hana had marveled when he had first seen them. Of course, he had seen guardian spirits before, but the enormous demi-gods that obeyed okaa-san´s every word, one blue, one red, were frightening and magnificent… and extremely powerful, he had learned. Along with that, okaa-san often talked with other spirits and summoned whatever spirit otou needed to speak with at times.

And otou-san himself… now that was a marvel beyond belief. The Great Spirit, the King of Spirits, was his to command, though he respected the spirit greatly and sought its wisdom often. But the destructive and creative power otou possessed was almost beyond measurement, certainly beyond comprehension.

But despite their opposing personalities, Hana knew that okaa loved otou fiercely, unconditionally, though she didn't always show it and slapped him at times and that otou worshipped the ground okaa walked on, despite his regular teasing of her.

Hana sighed as he kicked playfully at a stone nearby. Both of his parents were probably the most powerful shamans he would ever encounter. Scratch the "probably". And he wanted to be as useful and as powerful as they were.

"Time and training, Hana." A pleasant lyric baritone voice floated into the boy's ears. "That's all it takes." A warm, boyish smile. "You'll be a great shaman one day."

"You're back, otou!" this time, Hana didn't hesitate to launch himself into his father's arms, which raised him high up before returning him to the ground.

His otou-san was the perfect counterpart of okaa-san, with his chestnut brown hair, still slightly longer than okaa´s, matching brown eyes that never showed anything but warmth and mischief. And where okaa wore black, otou wore white, creamy white, a… poncho, was it called? Either way, it was a foreign but comfortable garment.

"I see you've made progress with the shikigami, well done."

"I'm still nowhere near you, though." Hana pouted a bit. "I guess it'll take long till I get my own guardian spirit."

Otou-san laughed merrily, pleasantly. "You'll have to master the basic skills every shaman has first. And the process of choosing a spirit and convincing them to obey you isn't easy the first time you do it."

"I guess."

The smile vanished only because long tresses, swept by the wind, obscured it for a moment. "Is your okaa-san home?"

Hana nodded eagerly. "She sent me outside so that I don't make a mess, that I'd have to clean it up."

"Yes, she certainly likes a clean house. I'll go greet her, then. You play outside for a while, I'll come see you later and show you something new. I want to see how quick your reflexes are. A shaman needs physical as well as mental skills."

Otou-san lowered Hana back to the ground and swept away from him with a graceful stride, moving into the house, vanishing from sight.

Hana envied otou-san in that matter. No matter how scary okaa-san might get, otou-san never feared her and at times said out loud that it was one of the things he loved about her – the way she never backed down and always stood her ground.

Ever since Hana was born, they had lived a rather idyllic existence. Over time, one of his parents was often needed at a remote location, setting straight battles, squabbles, keeping the peace and helping people. They were famous throughout the land… throughout the world. And Hana had gotten used to being alone in the house with only spirits for company at times.

The duties of the rulers of the Shaman world involved more ceremonial business than real battles – now, the world was better than it was, a little more peaceful than before.

Hana continued practicing.

Inside the house, arms snaked their way around Anna's waist while she was flipping through a magazine, thinking what they might have for dinner that night. Of course she wouldn't be the one cooking said dinner, but it was nice to be able to pick whatever meal she wanted. Now, however, she regretted that both her hands were occupied and she had no means of kicking, slapping or otherwise physically injuring her husband, who sensed her annoyance but easily ignored it, resting his head on her shoulder from behind and peeking into the magazine, not really paying attention to it.

Anna's face glowed red a bit as the hands proceeded to roam a bit too much and she stepped on the nearest foot that wasn't hers, hard. Despite being Shaman King, even her husband wasn't immune to her attacks and yelped slightly before jumping away from her. Nevertheless, she was glad to see him. It was simply her strange way of showing it. She would have hit a person she didn't care for harder.

A lot harder.

"Keep your hands in check."

He flashed a dazzling smile that made even her knees buckle slightly. "_Koishii_," he said affectionately, "you would have to be less enchanting for that plea to make me stop."

She was _not_ blushing. "Shut up. You know you can't sweet-talk me as easily as that."

"You can't blame me for trying." He shrugged. For someone so famed, feared and powerful, he certainly had a playful side that not only she knew of. Come to think of it, Anna couldn't remember his face without that giddy smile she had come to be fond of.

Well, she _could_, but certainly not in situations that would lessen her blush.

"I'll assume you've solved that problem with the uprising in the west." Anna said, striding into the kitchen to check if they had the supplies necessary for the dinner she had in mind.

_He_ followed her, flinging himself into the nearest chair with ease. "It was no trouble. Actually, it wasn't hard at all, but I thought I should show up just to give them an example of what happens to troublemakers. They weren't that strong – others could have managed it just fine."

This still wasn't the ideal world, Anna knew. Not all would understand either of them. The very fact that they were together, the two opposites that they were, was still shocking to most. But that was what they were – flip sides of the same coin.

Soul mates.

She had never thought she would think that could exist in real life. Even in her soap operas, it had seemed far too… far-fetched. Unrealistic.

Plain stupid.

"It also means that I'm all yours tonight." Her husband said with a mischievous grin.

Anna almost dropped the vegetables she had found and sent her best death glare at him, knowing that he had a natural immunity or a natural stupidity that protected him from the effects of her stares.

After all, she didn't want to kill him.

Not really.

"_Hentai_." She muttered to herself. And then, out loud: "No soy sauce for you tonight."

"You intend to use it for other purposes?" he inquired innocently.

Too innocently.

She threw an apple at him. "You damned _hentai._"

Unfortunately, he caught it with natural ease. And again, that smile. "My, Anna-chan, I was thinking that you intended to make a different meal with it. Just what is on your mind today, _koi_? Have I been away from you for too long?" And he was approaching her, like the snake he was, with the damned grace he always seemed to have. "You've missed me that much?"

"Watch those hands." She warned him, not even berating him for the misuse of her name. "Hana is in the house and I won't have my son take after his father."

"You don't want him to be powerful, wonderful and irresistible to beautiful itako?"

The corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily – which he noticed at once, as he noticed all details about her. He had learned to distinguish her moods and see how far he was at cheering her up or seducing her – whatever he felt like – through the little changes in her expressions. No one else probably saw it, it was too subtle, but it pleased him to know that he was the only one who managed to cause these changes.

Slowly, he leaned in towards her, taking the opportunity to press his lips to the side of her face, not kissing her, simply relishing the brief moment when she trembled. Of course she tried to hide it, but she couldn't disguise it well enough to fool him. As gently as he could, he returned his hands to her waist, slowly pulling her closer to him.

"Well, Anna?" Hot breath against her skin. A whisper that all her senses felt.

"If you start groping me in the kitchen…" she breathed, but didn't finish, because a pair of lips caressed her skin in a maddening way… and a hand found her breast.

Unfortunately, stomping his foot didn't work the second time she tried it that day. She would soon have to think of new tricks to play on him, as he didn't appear to run out of his.

As a punishment for that dirty trick, she was forced to tremble again, and not with hatred or anger. But she positively seethed with rage at the way he could manipulate her into doing what he wanted her to do. Any the thing she hated the most was that she found herself not objecting to the sensations that his touch was causing her.

Her body was being turned. Black stared into brown – their eyes met.

And out of the blue, she slapped him.

Attempted to do so, anyway. He didn't allow her to slap him all the time, only when he deemed it necessarily. Even the legendary left hand was deflected, caught and pushed against the wall along with the rest of her body. The grip and pressure on her wrists remained, but she saw only the sudden hunger that had appeared in his gaze, mixing with the playfulness as he observed her struggling form.

"I've missed you." He whispered with an unusual hoarseness.

Anna attempted to break free, despite knowing it was futile. "You always say that."

"I always mean it."

"Hana is outside."

His smile only widened. There was something predatory about it. "Outside means not in this house. And he will be busy training for some time."

"_Hentai_."

"Anna, your mind always amazes and amuses me."

"You think that just because you're my husband you can force me?" A challenge, naturally.

"Who says I'm forcing you… I'm only persuading you." He breathed into her neck, traveling it with his lips before moving back to her face, looking at her.

The itako remained stone-faced, but there was a light blush gracing her immaculate cheeks now. The truth was, she didn't mind… she didn't, really. Since when had she become so easily persuaded by something as trivial as a kiss?

But with him, nothing was ever trivial. Nothing. Their lives were extraordinary, yet simple and easy, as she had always wished. And for the first time in her life, she felt wanted. Loved, even, perhaps. There was not only lust that linked them, though it was part of their attraction, or a common goal in life, which had brought them together. There was affection there as well, a feeling that made her feel weak and strong at the same time, what she had never felt before.

And he looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, which to him, she was. With her, he had a place, a purpose, a future. Of course, it had been difficult at the beginning. Their being together had always been risky, dangerous. Now, at the end of a long journey, he had all he could have ever wanted and more.

A normal world.

They were accepted, respected, if slightly feared.

Home… he had never had it before.

But even he sensed that Hana had grown bored playing outside and intended to go back in and check what was for dinner. Knowing that, he slowly released his wife, but not before paralyzing her with a kiss on the lips, brief as it was, and whispering to her that she would be his after dark, making her glare harder, to his utter amusement.

And once their son was safely in bed in his room, he caught her on the balcony, in her white nightclothes. Never before had she allowed anyone into her bedroom – the marriage had changed everything. She had considered throwing him out and making them sleep in separate rooms, but eventually refrained. After all, he respected her very much, she knew.

She never stops to consider what may have been.

Neither does he.

"Anna…" to his surprise, she allows herself to be kissed and caressed this time. "Is this a new strategy? You want to give me a false sense of security before elbowing me in the stomach?" But it's with good fun when he says those words.

"Once a baka, always a baka." She mutters, aware but uncaring of the fingers playing with the sash of her robe. She _had_ missed him, really. And only then does she realize that the touch she feels is of his naked chest, though she thoroughly checks whether he is wearing anything at all.

And he laughs, though she hadn't groped him. Not really. "Now, now, who is the _hentai_ in this household?"

Again, she blushes. Even the darkness cannot hide it. "Shut up."

"You're right. I have better uses for my mouth." A hand gently slithers underneath her robe, warm against her cold skin. She finds herself not minding the caress.

And he understands all too well that he hereby received the permission he desired as she allows the wind to sweep the sleeve of her robe away.

She might only think it, he might daily say it, but the Great Spirits know it is true. For good or ill, they are together, fighting and loving each other. They clash to join again, yin and yang, light and darkness, fire and ice.

Hao and Anna.

X X X

_**Owari**_

X X X

Koi love

Koishii beloved

Hentai you get the idea .)


End file.
